CyberCrossing
by Martianlightsaber
Summary: Based on the cut episode Electric Soldier Porygon, a short Pokeshippy and Contestshippy fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Cyber-Crossing**

_A/N: Based on "Electric Soldier Porygon", all characters, plots and props belong to all the people involved in creating "Pokemon"._

**Part 1**

_**Narrator:** Fresh from his victory in the Battle Frontier, Ash Ketchum heads to his home town of Pallet, eager to start his next big adventure and move one step closer to becoming a Pokemon Master. Spirits are high as our heroes march with-_

**_"Hey I'm hungry! Can't we stop somewhere to get something to eat?"_**

_-with empty stomachs to their next destination..._

----------

"Yeah, I'm hungry too! Don't you have any ongiri left Brock?" whined May, who was trailed by an equally hungry Max.

"No, but the next town isn't too far away, it's called... Cybercity?"

"COOL I'll bet they have tonnes of cool gadgets and all the latest inventions and games and Pokemon items!" yelled Max, punching the air with his fist, his hunger instantly forgotten. With that, Ash, May and Brocked raced after their youngest member in pursuit of lunch at Cybercity.

**---In Cybercity---**

"Hey this place is kinda odd"

"Yeah, you order food through automated vending machines. There aren't really any people around..."

"Burgers, fries, fish and chips, ice cream, soda... these things have every kind of fast food imagineable!"

"So you just slot a coin in?"

"No silly, you have to get a Cybercard if you want to buy anything here!" Ash leapt a foot into the air at the sound of that familiar voice right beside his ear.

"Misty! What're you doing here?"

"The same as why I was in Pallet after the Hoenn league, but I can't leave the gym for so long this time around so I thought I'd visit earlier," she replied with a small grin. It'd been a while since they'd last seen Misty, so lunch was spent exchanging pleasantries and catching up on what each had been doing.

A cheeseburger, 2 fries, 2 cokes, a triple-scooped ice-cream and a brownie (each) later, our heroes were energized and ready to hit the road again, but not before giving their pokemon a good rest at the local Pokemon Center. The chaos which ensued brought a strong sense of deja vu to our original trio as they watched Nurse Joy panickedly hitting buttons on the pokemon transporter. Fearing the worst, Ash approached her to ask what was wrong.

"I don't know! We had this problem with the transporter a few years ago but the vaccine we used then isn't working this time... and Professor Akihabara doesn't - wait I think that's his call."

"Nurse Joy the bug seems to be intermittent and tranfers should resume normally after 2 more hours. I fear that it may return again soon after though, so perhaps we should shut down the- hey! It's you three kids again!"

Slightly taken aback from being directly addressed, Ash, Brock and Misty merely nodded and asked if they could help out again, this time introducing May and Max.

"Oooh delightful, very delightful, take a step outside, I have a copter waiting to bring you to my lab!"

**---Akiharaba's Lab---**

This time around, our heroes were spared the antics of Akihabara's freaky holographic face and were brought directly to his "New, Improved, Reconstructed Human Transporter", which he introduced with a flourish. They were told that this bug probably was a leak of some sort within the cyber architecture and that Porygon 2 would bring them safely inside and back. He had also informed the center this time not to use a vaccine until the gang was safely back in the real world.

After multiple not-very-reassuring reassurances and loading them with a communications device, sticky putty and masking tape, Akiharaba sent them swirling through a vortex into the cyber world once again.

**---Cyberworld---**

"Oof!"

"Ack"

-Squish-

"Will you guys please get off of me?" mumbled Brock from under the collapsed heap of his 4 friends. May and Max instantly scrambled up, gazing in awe at the multitudes of flashing lights, and rows upon rows of data streaming through the system at mind-boggling speeds.

"Cool! So this is what it's like to be inside a computer! Isn't this great May?"

"It sure is exciting! Maybe I can let Beautifly do a bit of scouting around for this leak we're supposed to be fixing..."

"Alright, you too Kasulyn and Luvlyn! Go help Beautifly out!"

"Hey, those are Luvdisc!" Ash said excitedly as he whipped out his Pokedex. "Wow, they fly when they kiss? But Misty, why do you have two?"

"They're both in need of training, Luvlyn is Daisy's, Kasulyn is mine. They'd rather train together if you see what I mean."

"Huh? I don't see why they have to train together..."

At that, everyone facefaulted.

Anyway, since our heroes were tight for time, Ash decided to ride with Max on Swellow, recalling that 5 people had been too much for the original Porygon to handle. It wasn't long before the gang came across a peculiar round hole where a hypnotizing pink light poured forth from within. As though it had a will of its own, they were soon sucked into the hole, and almost instantly, it sealed itself.

Panicking, Max despearately punched the buttons in the device Akiharaba had given them, but communications had obviously been cut off entirely. Without even a door to hammer on, the 5 of them sighed worriedly, wondering if they'd get out of this one alive. It took a while for the initial panic to wear off, but as they took some time to look around, they noticed that this side of Cyberworld wasn't quite as techno as the other side had been. In fact, it looked very much like-

"An art gallery!"

"Say what Misty?"

"This place looks just like an art gallery, they have something like this in one of the cities in Hoenn, you ought to know that Ash..."

"Heh, well... art is for wimps! I was busy training!"

"YOU ARE STILL SUCH A BIG BABY! Art is the most romantic thing on earth! Such beauty, such imagination..." Misty trailed off, looking all starry-eyed.

"I thought the last time you said something about France being the most romantic."

"Frace _is_ romantic! And Paris is a city of art! Wait, when did I say that?"

"I hate to interrupt but will you two lovebirds cut it out? We've got to find a way out of here!" Brock interjected impatiently.

"But Professor Akihabara said the bug lasts for about 2 hours right? Maybe that door/portal thing will open again after 2 hours..." Max suggested hopefully.

"Well, in the mean time we can check out all this cool art! Maybe I can get some ideas for contest showings!" May squealed before skipping off down one of the halls. Everyone sweatdropped.

"Guess that's what we'll do since we can only wait and see..."

So everyone sauntered off, Misty heading for the romance gallery, Max to everything that looked scientific, Brock to see beautiful girls duh and Ash... where _was_ he?

**---Twenty Minutes Later---**

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"What's the matter!"

"Who screamed?"

"What's wrong?"

"That, that, that place is awful!" Misty squeaked, sounding absolutely traumatized and pointing down one of the hallways as the rest of the gang ran to meet her. Fortunately, being the tomboy that she was, she got over it pretty quickly and warned everyone not to go down there.

"What could be so awful in that hall? Even horror art isn't really scary since it's just on paper..." May ventured a comment.

"Trust me, it's worse."

"Misty, I've never seen you scared of anything but bugs! I'M GOING TO LOOK!" Ash declared in his usual egoistic manner and raced down the hall before Misty could stop him. Refusing to set foot near that dreaded place again, Misty could only wait with May, Max and Brock, dreading what she knew would be gales of laughter from her best (annoying) friend. Ten minutes passed and he hadn't returned and everyone was starting to get worried. There couldn't really have been anything harmful in there right?

"Misty, what really was in that gallery?"

"It's unspeakable, please don't make me tell."

"Beauitful girls?"

"DEFINITELY NOT. Mind OUT OF THE GUTTER Brock!"

"Nurse Joy? Officer Jenny?"

May and Max instantly sweatdropped, "he's gone delusional."

Snapping out of his lovesick haze, Brock told the three of them to stay put while he went to look for Ash. He too, did not return, and the end of 2 hours was drawing nearer by the second. They had to go find Ash and Brock, but Misty was obviously stubborn enough not to want to go back again. So, offering their reassurances, May and Max took off down the corridor while Misty headed back to the portal, and would yell for them to come back if it opened.

By the time she reached the portal, Misty could hear Max and May's voices in the distance, May's a shrill giggle and Max saying something like "Brock, that is SICK." Turning bright red, Misty sighed in defeat as she raced back to do some "damage control"

**---End Part 1---**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

**---Back with Ash---**

After his rather rash decision to demonstrate his superior courage, Ash thought that perhaps it might not have been such a good idea after all. Misty was never afraid of anything but bugs, so what made him think _he_ had a chance? Shuffling gingerly down the hall, he noticed scuff marks on the carpet where Misty must have skidded in her haste to get away. Turning straight into the adjacent gallery without a second glance, Ash unwittingly stepped into the realm of "Carina's Misty Gallery"

**---Back with Brock---**

_"That kid had better not have gotten himself into trouble again,"_ Brock thought worriedly as he traced his way down the hall following the growingly-evident ruts in the carpet probably made by Ash's dragging feet. He only hoped no one had knocked him out and dragged him to create those ruts.

Suddenly aware of brightly flashing lights declaring "Carina's Misty Gallery" up ahead, he grinned a sly grin and stole quietly into the gallery to see what his younger friend was doing.

**---Back with Misty---**

Misty braced herself as she reached the aforementioned gallery once again, wincing at how she had managed to miss those neon lights declaring the content of the hall the first time around. She also knew all along that none of hercompanions could possibly have been in any danger and was somehow curious as to why they were taking so long in there.

As she stepped in, she was met with more shrill giggling from May, who was currently rolling on the floor clutching her side and saying something very incoherent. Ash was glaring sheepishly at the two siblings while Brock was nowhere to be found.

"Max, what happened?"

"Well you see Misty, May caught Ash - waaah!" The rest of his sentence was cut off as Ash promptly sealed Max's mouth with his palm, yelling a "Don't you dare!" at the younger pokemon enthusiast.

"May? Come on guys why'd you take so long?"

Still fighting off her laughter, May only managed a "he - hahahahaha - your - hahahaha - totally - HAHAHAHAHA" and collapsed back into hopeless giggles. If looks could kill, May would've SUFFERED under Ash's now venomous glare.

"Cut it out May!" He yelled, turning a little pink from embarrassment.

"SPIT IT OUT YOU GUYS!" Misty joined into the shouting competition, desperately wanting to know what had gone on, and at the same time worried that they might miss their portal back to the real world.

Finally composing herself for a few seconds May declared, "He was totally-" and a hand slapped over her mouth, which was a fatal mistake for Ash because this left Max to finish the sentence, whereby both Misty and Ash turned a few shades of red before going completely blind from a camera flash right in their faces.

"Priceless," stated Brock as he patted the camera. "You know, there are a lot more of these cool pictures over in _that_ gallery," he said with a flourish, waving at the large sign behind them which declared "Teppo's Art Gallery".

This would have earned Brock a few whacks and a thunderbolt, but May's (very timely) slight pinkness went unnoticed by no one as the gang raced over to this new gallery, all recent embarrassment suddenly a thing of the past.

**---Teppo's Gallery---**

"These pictures are great!"

"Hah, I should try out this morning exercise thing!"

"Aww you look so cute with Drew!"

"Wow Ash, whoever this is did a good job with you and Misty!"

"Looks like everyone knows about your cooking Misty..."

"She's sure got a lot of fans!"

"Hey since when did _she_ get so popular?"

"Ooh look it's Brendan!"

"Who?"

"Our old neighbor back in Littleroot Town!"

"Hey, I just might look cool in your clothes May!"

"Hey what are these funny little slots below all the pictures?" -coughUSBcough-

... and so on ...

_..Many comments later .._

"Guys, there's one last gallery I wanna check out, it doesn't have a sign so you might miss it unless you're looking for it."

"What's that Brock?"

"You'll see."

**---Over in the Mysterious Gallery---**

"This place is creepy."

"Yeah, all the lights are off. What's the deal Brock?"

"Don't worry, I just wanted it to be a surprise, they'll come on once I find the switch again."

So the lights come on in a dramatic fashion (see the episode where the gang does a Team Rocket imitation ;)) to reveal...

_"The Pokeshippers"_

Aname which meant nothing to our heroes, but whose meaning was slowly made clear as image after image depicted, well, AAML. As though they had taught themselves agility, Ash and Misty were out of the gallery and back to the portal in less than the blink of an eye, where they collapsed in an exhausted, stunned and vaguely traumatized heap.

"That, was terrifying."

"For once, Ash Ketchum, you're right."

He would have picked a fight about that if he hadn't been so tired, so he simply slumped against Porygon 2 while Misty sat down next to him.

"Who comes up with things like that anyway? It's plain evil!"

"I don't know, but if I ever find him or her, they're gonna get a taste of Misty Madness!"

"Where are the rest?"

"Probably still taking their time..."

Sighing, they sat in amiable silence, waiting for their friends to return. The 2 hours were almost up, and knowing that Max had set his pokenav before exploring, they were sure they'd be back in time.

"Guys! We're back! The portal should be opening any minute now."

"Great! I can't wait to get back to reality," sighed Misty as she wearily peeled herself off Porygon 2 and got on its back while Ash called Swellow out again.

"What took you guys anyway?"

"It was a nice gallery, not all of it had you two -"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT," chorused the two.

**---Journey Back---**

The portal opened as predicted, pouring forth pulsating blue light which drew them back to the ordinary cyber world. Calling out all their pokemon, our heroes had the portal fixed with masking tape and sticky putty in no time. As they stood back to admire their "masterpiece", the portal abruptly closed itself, leaving the wall of tape suspended in midair.

"Wonder if it'll come back?" asked May.

"Don't know, but let's just get back to the Professor and tell him that we sealed up the leak. I am NOT coming back here again if the tape didn't work," declared Ash, whose pride obviously didn't extend to enduring another round of such trauma.

The journey back was fortunately uneventful (no Team Rocket for a change) and after pokemon and trainers alike were rested, our heroes were back on the road to Pallet Town.

**---End Part 2---**


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: This story isn't quite as interesting without being able to acces the hyperlinks... For the original do visit my Devart homepage in my author page. _

**---On the Road---**

Finding the walk back too boring for his taste, Ash decided to restart a fight with Misty. Actually it was Misty who normally started the fights but it didn't really matter in the end, it was all for the fun of it.

"You know Misty, those guys in the art gallery drew you a lot prettier than you really are."

"SAY THAT AGAIN ASH KETCHUM."

"Well it's true! You're much scrawnier in real life."

"Well at least I'm not drawn OUT OF CHARACTER!"

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"You saw them! No one in their right minds would ever dream you'd be able to be romantic!"

"Hey I so can if I want!"

"Yeah right, you wouldn't know romance if it hit you in the face!"

"I do too!"

"Do NOT!"

"Do TOO!"

"Oh yeah? Surprise me!"

"FINE!"

"I know you too well Ketchum, nothing you say or do will ever surprise me!"

"Oh YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

In typical fight stance, their noses were barely an inch apart as they glared each other down, so, in typical Ash style, where he'd jump off a cliff just to prove a point, he leaned forward and planted a light kiss of Misty's cheek before backpedalling furiously in anticipation of what was to come:

"WHAT THE HECK WAS _THAT_ FOR?"

"Well I surprised you didn't I?" Ash replied as confidently as he dared.

Realising that she'd actually lost an argument with Ash, Misty turned away, silently seething, and at the same time hoping that the blush which had swiftly spread across her face would fade before the others turned around to check on the commotion.

Grinning contentedly, Ash put a slight bounce to his step as they continued on their way back to his home and a scrumptious meal prepared by his mom.

**---Ash's Home---**

"HONEY! You're back! Oh I missed you so much, my little boy is growing up so fast! And Misty, Brock, May and Max! It's so nice to see you all again. Come in! I have lunch ready! I made your favorite - Pile-up Pizza, honey! And Misty, don't worry I have one specially for you without carrots and peppers, come in, come in!"

"But Mrs. Ketchum, how did you know I don't like carrots and peppers?"

"Oh, you know Ash, he tells me all about his friends! He reminds me about that whenever you and Brock used to come over."

"Oh, thank you Mrs. Ketchum!" Misty replied, shooting a sidelong glance at Ash, who was suddenly finding the potted plant near the entrance absolutely fascinating.

The five friends took their seats around the Ketchum dining table (with Pikachu hugging the ketchup bottle) while Mrs. Ketchum busied herself with bringing the pizzas out of the oven, asking how their travels had been. Misty also chipped in a bit about her life at the gym, sighing dejectedly as she recalled how her sisters are still hopeless at battling. The conversation soon died again as everyone tucked into the delicious lunch.

"So, Ash honey, when did you two start?"

"Huh? Who two? Start what?" came the incredulous reply. It somehow escaped everyone's attention that Brock and Max were trying desperately to control their laughter.

"Oh come on sweetie, there's no need to be shy about it, I'm your mother, you can tell me anything."

"Shy about WHAT mom?"

"This!" Delia practically exclaimed as she waved one of the art pieces they had seen.

Instantly turning scarlet, Ash and Misty glared daggers at the now-laughing-uncontrollably boys across the table, while previously clueless May's lips now began to twitch into a smile.

"But that isn't us! Some person who calls him or herself a Pokeshipper drew it!"

"Well then what about this?" Delia brandished the photo which Brock took of the two of them blushing furiously at each other.

"You're lucky he didn't catch the one on the road," muttered Misty as she attempted to sink into her seat and disappear.

"Road? We missed something on the road?" cried Brock melodramatically. "Max, I thought you had them covered!"

"But I was calling Drew!"

"You WHAT?"

-Ding-dong-

"I'll get it!" called Delia, ever the perfect housewife.

The door swung open to reveal Drew standing nervously at the doorstep of the Ketchums, stuttering an explanation, "He - he - llo Mrs. Ketchum, I'm Drew and I was called by Max to come here because he had something to show me?"

"Oh of course, come in dear, if you're a friend of their's, you're always welcome here," Delia smiled at the younger boy who was shifting his weight nervously from one leg to the other. Smiling gratefully, he stepped in and was promptly dragged away by Max, out of earshot from the others.

"You said something about your sister, Max?"

"Yeah, I'll transfer this to your Pokegear."

As the image loaded on Drew's handheld device, he could feel a smile tugging at his lips, but quickly hid it as he approached the dining room.

"Hello Ash, Brock, May, and... erm... I don't think we've been introduced."

"I'm Misty, nice to meet you! I gather you're Drew?"

"How'd you know?"

"We heard you from the door."

"DID MAX CALL YOU?" May demanded as she leapt from her seat and grabbed Drew by the collar. Taken aback, as he could normally hold her off at arm's length, Drew merely gulped and nodded.

"I AM GOING TO KILL HIM. What'd he call you for?"

"Said he had something to show me? But he already did that the moment I stepped in. Don't kill him by the way."

"Are you going to stay for lunch dear?" Delia asked as the two teens looked like they were on the brink of an Ash/Misty-scale fight.

"Oh, um, no thanks Mrs. Ketchum, I've already eaten. Anyway," he continued, turning back to May, "I'll be beating you at the next contest, so you better be practicing. It's no fun beating a pushover."

This time he was prepared for May's assault and calmly held her off by the forehead. Pulling a rose from nowhere and tossing it to May, he politely thanked Mrs. Ketchum for having him over and disappeared down the road. Attached to the rose was a note:

"Your brother has good taste. P.T.O"

"link & link, enjoy."

Hiding her blush, she swivelled around to face Max, and quickly remembering the score they had to settle, Ash and Misty clambered up to face Brock. Knowing the worst was to come, both boys only had time to mutter a small "heh" before taking off down the road.

"You think we have a chance?"

"There's two of us and three of them. Not to mention it's my sister! NOT A CHANCE."

"Okay then, just keep running!"

Misty handed each of her companions a mallet from thin air, and cut to the chase as they headed toward the Pallet sunset.

Delia stood on the porch watching in amusement as the five kids had their fun. _"Some things never change,"_ she mused.

**_---End of Story---_**


End file.
